When the Day Met the Night
by Majestic Honey Bun
Summary: Space AU; The sky was golden and it all started with tea. Levi wanted that big ball of gas, and the Universe approved. Levi/Eren


_I don't know if it's been done yet, but I really wanted Eren to be the sun and for Levi to be gay in space.  
Moon: Levi  
Sun: Eren  
Jupiter: Erwin  
Saturn: Hanji  
Earth: Carla  
Mercury: Armin_

* * *

_..._

_I was waiting for the sky to fall_

…

"The Sun burns my fucking eyes." That's what he wanted to say. But one, it required effort and two, Hanji would just quip up a chipper, "It's supposed to!"

So he just took a small but elegant sip of his tea, waiting for Day to come to an end and for Hanji to leave him alone. She was Saturn, and unusually proud of her rings, flashing them to anyone who dared ask. There was a lapse of silence as she clumsily slapped her glasses onto her face. He knew what was coming.

"The Sun is a beauty," she said dreamily, her whiskey forgotten as the yellow waves blended into reddish pink hues. It faded to thickly veiled clouds, and coated the Earth, brandishing rays like a weapon, fucking determined to make everything brighter than normal.

"You mean that big ass ball of gas?" Hanji snorted with disapproval, almost spraying her whiskey out her nostrils.

"That rhymed," she said, before slapping her glass onto the expensive coffee table he considered perfection. Throwing her a withering glare, he pointed to the coaster, making it a point to gesture at the door. Coaster or leave, he said silently. She huffed, complied, and straightened her glasses; Hanji was getting ready for her soap box. "I really don't understand why you hate the Sun, you don't even know him."

She _said_ it.

For the millionth time.

"I never said I hated him," he replied calmly, choosing to ignore the pointed look, and ready to change the subject. Inviting Hanji over was a bad idea, especially if he had to bring Night in sixty-two minutes. The Galaxy knows how long it takes her to speak her mind. Erwin would've been a better option, but he wasn't in the mood to be psychoanalyzed in ten minutes, waiting for his thick eyebrows to arrive to the conclusion, that one: Levi was lonely and two: Levi developed a heavy dependence on protein shakes. Erwin lived farther away than Hanji, and even though he was bigger than both of them combined, he had no energy to deflect Erwin's constant storm. Jupiter. Jesus. Erwin's eyebrows weren't the only biggest thing. Maybe his dick was even bigger.

"I just don't know how you've never even spoken to him," she said, ignoring Levi's silence and taking it as an invitation to continue. "You cross paths every day, right at Dusk, and you've never even looked at his face." She made it sound like it was a fucking shame.

Forty-five minutes.

"—He's absolutely fascinating, he brings life to Earth. Armin or Mercury, whatever his name is now, he's b_rilliant_. He gives my Milky Way cutie tingles. I love them both, he doesn't mind me asking him questions like you do."

Many knew the Moon never associated itself with the Sun, and if it was absolutely necessary, he would communicate with the Stars, Mikasa, who would deliver the message. She was fiercely protective, and let him know since their first encounter that if he even dared break the boundaries set upon the Cosmos, she would end him.

It's always been this way and Levi didn't mind, in fact, he preferred this method of communication. It was an agreeable arrangement, and he enjoyed his job, even it was undeniably tiring.

Bringing Night, draping and submerging the world with darkness as Day slowly faded away.

Thirty-two minutes.

"I'm going back, Moblit is waiting for me. That sweetheart. I finished your last tea bag, by the way," she chirped, dissolving into stardust and leaving the Moon alone.

…

_You are cordially invited to the party hosted by Jupiter, which shall take place at_ _Saturn's precipice in two days._

_P.S. Levi, you better go, I even bought protein shakes just for you, dress nicely, eat cheese. We both know you still have a chance at growing a few more inches. –Hanji_

Did she just make a Moon joke? He was not going to eat himself. Fucking hell. Cannibalism.

…

_We both know you'd win, doll._

…

Two days later, he was dressed in a midnight black suit, his tie matching the stormy shade of his eyes.

Hanji's precipice was beautiful, the chasm sculpted with amethysts and violet tulips, white roses, and an endless field of grass and trees. It was a gift from Earth and the Sun, who were particularly fond of Saturn. Several guests already started to slip into conversations, Jean drifting to Marco, Ymir glued to Historia, Petra with Hanji, Auruo, Eld, and Gunther. Stars and comets drizzled about; even constellations had the confidence to speak to the planets. Soft classical music serenaded the get together, glasses clinking, chatter and cheerful laughter. He piled his plate with moon cake, feeling odd as he realized that cannibalism was inevitable. _At least it's not cheese._

There was an empty table at the far end, secluded with only one person occupying it. Balancing his cake with thoughtful elegance, he sat across the stranger, settling the white clothed napkin over his lap.

"Hello."

Tearing his eyes away from the dessert, he spared a glance at the owner of the voice. He was smiling, almost as blinding as his eyes, which were a spectrum of their own. He wasn't wearing a suit, only clad in a white dress shirt with black suspenders and slacks. He was sitting up straight, in a stick-up-the-ass kind of way. Even the manner in which he held his silver fork, his properly even eyebrows, they were almost on par with Erwin's. His hair was the only ambiguous part about him, he was just too _bright_. Vividly entrancing.

He was beautifully picturesque, like a painting. Maybe. Something like that, a muse of sorts.

"What?" His tone was flat, the spoken word sharp. Levi ignored the man's look of confusion, too tired to care about mannerisms.

"I'm happy you're sitting here, is all. My name's Eren."

"Levi," he replied, placing his knife on the plate and stabbing the cake with his fork. He didn't mind small talk, but he did mind long conversations. The more, the merrier policy was his bane, so at least he knew the man would stop speaking after Levi expressed no interest in socializing.

"Would you like some tea?"

There was a steaming pot, crimson with golden swirls as the design, a sugar bowl and creamer accompanying it. The tea cups—china- because Erwin had a thing for tea sets, were primly gleaming.

"Does it taste like shit?"

Eren laughed, and it was a pleasant sound. "It's Novus Sapphire Earl Grey tea, if that's what you're asking. It should go well with your dessert."

"You try it. This is Hanji we're dealing with." The floral scent was a temptress.

"I brewed it myself," Eren said, wasting no time to pour the tea and tipping the cup with a spoonful of sugar.

"All the more reason for you to try it first," he said, unimpressed with the other man's half-hearted sigh. Eren grinned and took a small drink, his lips curling into a lazy smile as he cradled the cup closer to his chest.

"It's harmless. You should listen to me, Levi." He said his name so casually, like they had known each other for millennia, braided each other's hair, plucked their eyebrows together on Sundays. Does he even know he's speaking to the Moon? The very same Moon that brought Night to Carla, brought an end to twelve hours.

_Idiot_. "Since you didn't drop dead, I'll bite," he snapped back, aggressively snatching the spoon away from Eren's hand and letting it dip into the creamer. Hanji would be proud. Would probably slap his arm in surprise because he didn't say, "Suck a dick, leave me alone." Eren wasn't a disappointment, at least not yet.

Eren was staring at him, waiting for some sort of reaction. "I really love summer."

"Good for you."

"Yeah."

"So what are you?" The question escaped the Moon before he could compute his words to be socially appropriate, but the man didn't seem to mind. He actually seemed confused.

Great. Beautifully stupid. "What do you mean?"

"A star, a comet, that kind of thing," he answered shortly, Eren's eyes narrowing into a shrewd look.

"You don't know who I am?"

"There's a reason I asked."

Eren nodded, pursing his lips and looking uncomfortable for the first time, he folded his hands and squirmed on his chair. "It's kind of weird, I guess," he mumbled, taking a sudden interest in his suspenders.

"It can't be worse than Pluto or Uranus," Levi snarked, suppressing a smirk when the man slammed his knee on the table, snorted out his tea, letting the spoon drop with a loud clatter.

"Shit. No. I would die." Eren let out a breathy wheeze, his laughter loud as he attempted to compose himself. "I'm really sorry about that. I'm the Sun," he sniffled as he dabbed the red napkin on the corners of his eyes. "Damn. So what are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

Levi has had a shit ton of surprises before. The first one being when humans dropped into his home with no preamble, shoving a stick on it and floating around like a bunch of fucking marshmallows. Second, he's been covered completely by the Sun, something called an eclipse, and it pissed him off when that happened.

But this was a whole different level of "_Holy Shit_." His mask of composure was well kept, his metallic eyes taking everything in about this _Eren_. The Sun. This was the Sun. He was finally talking to that hot ball of gas, the biggest star in the Universe, the Bringer of Light. And he wears goddamn suspenders.

"Well, Eren. I'm the Moon," he said tonelessly, so anti-climactic. While he made sure to express no emotion at the news, Eren positively beamed, tea long forgotten as he took an enthusiastic bite from his cake.

"That's great. Mikasa said you were really grumpy and short, that I should stay away from you. You're not grumpy, you just have layers." He chewed thoughtfully. "Like an onion."

An onion? Short? A short onion. "Have you ever considered silence a valuable concept?"

"What?"

"You should." He narrowed his eyes into a glare that spat "_Fuck you _", a glare that even the Sun couldn't be immune to.

"I'm sorry." It was a genuine apology, which again, was unexpected. Perhaps it was one of those days where shit goes wrong, and the Universe was trying to warn him, to let him know that he better appreciate it while it lasts.

No more words were spoken after that. The imaginary sky was golden, stars glowing with a dynamic similar to Earth's, and he knew this was Eren. Eren was making all of this happen, yet all he did was hum quietly and drink tea, as if he wasn't unleashing rays of white light, purging the vicinity of darkness, a blinding festoon of dahlias surrounding the field as they were bathed with life. No one approached them either; everyone basked into a cascade of pleasure and celebration.

"I'll be leaving now, Levi. It was great finally meeting you," Eren said, extending his hand towards him. The hand was covered by a white glove, golden embroidery crafted and stitched beautifully.

Levi accepted it, finally making contact with the depths of swirling gold and blue and green. Warm eyes, unlike his own, which were shards of a cold metallic grey. "Likewise." He said simply.

The sky was still golden.

…

It was an innocent observation. He started to take notice how much Eren was part of his routine, every single twenty-four hours, a flipped page towards another fresh start. They would meet at Dusk, and he would see Eren yawn lazily, a breezy smile and wave thrown at him before he faded into the distance. Levi would only nod.

Eren wore a white dress shirt and black slacks as his standard attire, with golden patterns stitched into intricate designs. Always. Sometimes he would wear a silver watch. It wasn't the only detail he noticed.

As winter vastly approached, Eren would end Day hours earlier, summoning Levi to fade the rays of pink and blue to obsidian. He held no complaint because it was his job, but now he had to work longer and keep up with the patterns of the changing seasons.

He was always fucking tired, and Carla would thank him for his services, her demeanor kind and lively. Her face was crafted similarly to Eren's, and she would smile and let him know that she was his mother, her eyes a pure golden instead of a myriad of blues and greens.

Hanji said he looked less angry. "I don't know what it is Levi, but I'm happy," she would grin, shooting him a wink before leaving with the remainder of his coconut vodka.

He didn't know what to make of it, but he fully accepted this newfound realization with a "Fuck it."

…

"You should come to my garden, Levi." Eren was rubbing his eyes tiredly, a yawn escaping his lips. His eyes were as expressive as always, yet they struggled to stay open.

"Why should I?" He said lazily, Eren merely shrugged in response.

"I don't know, I just want you to be aware it's an option," Eren said simply, a handkerchief polishing his silver watch to its utmost sheen. "Your insomnia is getting worse, I would assume my garden is a peaceful place to go to when you can't sleep." Eren was smiling at him, all dimples and serenity.

Levi inhaled sharply. "Look, kid. I appreciate your concern, but it's not necessary." Every word punctuated brashly, Eren didn't waver.

"Alright. But keep in mind that if you do go, you must tap the bottom left rock. You're welcome anytime, Levi." With that said, Eren disappeared, a small bronze pendant shaped like the Sun in his place.

It was a key.

…

He was tired, sleep continued to evade him. The darkness he was used to expelling wouldn't come, instead he turned and restlessly tried to snap his eyes shut.

Scowling, he stuffed himself angrily in his robe, feeling the small pendant in his fist.

He needed some form of relaxation, where no one would find him and hound him to do his job. The garden seemed like the perfect escape, perhaps the only, and he channeled his whole being towards it. Without hesitation, he tapped the indicated rock and let the barriers waver to let him through.

It was beautiful. It was just what Eren promised. Flowers of all kinds filled his vision, all greens and hums from the breeze. He pulled the robe tighter around himself, feeling like an intruder as he realized that Eren was nowhere to be seen. There was no blue sky, just yellows and streaks of white.

He took a step forward, feeling a sense of liberation as he did. Life was all around, it was alien, he was used to pitch black silence, a sense of the unknown. The field was expansive, and he continued to walk until he heard it. The familiar sound of clinking glass. A tea set.

The Sun was sitting alone, a small round table set with pastries and plates, tea and wine. He took no notice of the Moon, who watched him silently as he hummed a tuneless tune, clinking and pouring the hot liquid with ease.

Eren wasn't wearing his usual ironed shirt. Instead, he wore a purely white suit, laced gloves wrapped around a wine red teapot. He finally looked up, his brows furrowing into surprise and confusion.

The Sun didn't say anything. Not that Levi planned to break the silence, but he would want some bullshit of an excuse as to why drinking tea seemed more appealing than sleeping. Resting. Except his insomnia wouldn't allow it and Eren's silent offer of tea was too good to refuse. "Long time no see, Levi."

He nodded, and sat down, a tea cup steaming languidly. "Do you mind?"

"Not really, I needed some company, to be honest," Eren said, eyes darting nervously towards his lap.

"Aren't you shitting life all the time, don't you have friends?" Levi asked, feeling the heat curl his fingers as he wrapped them around the cup.

"I guess, but I like being alone. Most of the time anyway. Mikasa is always busy, Armin drops by occasionally. Jean makes me want to explode. I can't get angry, my mother will get hurt if I do." Eren was speaking softly, but Levi could hear the traces of shame within his words. Sadness. Clear cut honesty. "I throw tea parties for myself, I read, I write. Sometimes I go out to Erwin's parties, but nobody knows me, so I'm just sitting alone and watching others have fun."

"You're a lonely piece of shit."

"Yeah. I am." Eren murmured.

"I couldn't sleep," Levi said curtly, taking a sip and appreciating the dash of cinnamon that left a slight buzz on his tongue.

"I know."

Silence. It's always silence that followed, save for the chirps and rush of wildlife. "Humans don't know about this place," Levi mused, finally being able to see nature untouched, not marred, withered and trampled.

Eren scowled, eyes laced with fiery anger. "No. This place is a gift from my mother. She knows I need a sanctuary of sorts. Not to mention humans are the reason she's ill." His voice cracked, lips pressed into a thin line.

"Does this mean you're the only inhabitant here?"

"I guess."

"I will come tomorrow then, brat." He noticed Eren visibly relax in relief, as if Levi's assurance of company was the best news he's received in millennia.

"Really? Do you promise?" The greens and blues were pleading, words insinuating more than just a tea party. A cure for loneliness.

"Yes, I fucking promise I'll be here to visit you." He looked away, feeling Eren and his garden dissolve into nothingness, his smile permanently etched into memory.

…

He would say his insomnia was the only reason he frequented the garden, the only justification as to why he dressed in a white button down, black pants, all formal as he sat across from Eren, who would have tea ready and cherry pastries strewn on a silver platter.

They would go on walks, sit on the grass and lazily watch the pond teeming with ducklings.

A congregation for insomniacs and the lonely. It was beautifully depressing, time would spin and twirl, and Levi didn't question it. Eren laughed at his vulgar jokes, the Moon would crack a slight smile that would disappear before it was fully registered, mostly when Eren did something stupid. Which was a lot. He was elegantly clumsy, and Levi would sourly elbow him because Eren had a tendency to ruffle his hair to brag about his height.

Needless to say, Eren suddenly became a part of whatever Levi had going on. His patterns of solitude were long forgotten, left to dust, and in its place was a man who never combed his hair.

Sleep no longer evaded him. He evaded sleep. Fuck sleep. Fuck everything.

…

"Something's wrong. No. _Different_." Hanji was giving him a calculating stare, as if Levi was holding incriminating information, and concealing it from her out of pure spite.

He was, but his eyes bore into hers, revealing nothing. "Elaborate," he said, tone sardonic. He was at home for once, the realm of darkness and mystery familiar to him. Eren said he would expect him later, he had to speak to his mother about Summer.

Hanji frowned. "You're different. You're barely home. And you don't tell me anything anymore," she said, genuinely upset. It was unlike her usual pompous nature, he almost felt guilty. "But it's a good kind of different," she smiled. "You're distracted."

"Distracted?"

"Someone's distracting you." Her sad smile morphed into a crooked grin, that craze brandished so quick Levi had to hold his tea closer to his chest unless he wanted it spilled on his carpet. "Are you seeing someone?" She wiggled her eyebrows, and Levi had no idea how Moblit had the sanity to fall in love with her. "I've noticed you don't sleep here anymore."

"You're fucking stalking me."

"You've been weird since Erwin's party—"

"I'm the same," he bit in briskly, feeling dread when he saw Hanji's face light up, feeling the _ding ding ding _rattle in her brain, feeling exposed as she bounced on her chair excitedly, ready to vocalize her conclusions, that tended to be correct.

"The Sun." She placed her glass of vodka on the table, loading the questions that were on the tip of her tongue.

"Coaster," Levi warned. "_Now_."

"You spoke to the Sun," she mused, huffing impatiently as she slapped the glass to comply. "You met him, and you liked him."

"Not everything's a fucking romance." He crossed his arms, bracing himself to deflect the bullets and raids that were her questions.

"What did you used to call him? 'A big ass ball of gas'?''

Levi flinched. "Suck my dick."

"Been there, done that, honey. Does he know?"

The Moon frowned. "What do you mean?" He didn't like where this was going. When his self-control slipped and the charade was up, his decisions scrutinized by someone else. Eren was his secret. Eren and his garden were his escape, where he would go and no one would follow. The Moon would bask in his warmth, and the Sun would laugh, tell him about Earth, and life. Point out flowers.

Not to mention that yes, he often slept on Eren's lap, felt his stare, and when Eren thought he was asleep, he would feel Eren's fingers in his hair, on his lips. A whisper of "_You're so perfect, Levi_."

"That you love him."

"No." It came out hoarsely, the pent up frustration, he wanted to punch Eren on the face, but kiss him violently all the same. Perhaps give him moon cake and tell a pun.

…

"You're really quiet today," Eren said, and Levi had to keep his gaze towards the brown liquid in his cup.

Eren wasn't wearing his suits, his ties, nothing, which in itself was jarring. White t-shirt and denim shorts. And he looked…surreptitiously enticing. Primal. "I'm fucking tired."

"At least you'll be resting more, Day is going to be longer, Nights are shorter," Eren said cheerfully, long legs swinging and kicking aimlessly.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing your shit of a job right now?"

"Yeah, but I'm with you right now." Eren squeezed his shoulder. "See you at Dusk."

_Eren, you piece of shit. You damn loser. _

…

Levi glanced at his watch, the arrow ticking until it would eventually declare his turn. The end for Eren, and a fresh start for Levi. And he felt perturbed, chest constricted, mouth dry. Dusk.

He walked slowly, steps taken with deliberation. He could see Eren, make out his eyes, that carefree smile. He would recognize it anywhere.

"Take it away, Moon."

"Your eyes."

"What?" Eren looked at him with confusion, as if he said it was time to cut his dick off and sell it to Erwin for a new tea set.

"Your eyes fucked me up. I knew you were deaf, you big ass ball of gas." Levi scowled, stance stiff, bracing himself. Patience had never been one of his virtues. Neither was ignoring the aesthetically pleasing. Might as well be honest. Go big or go home. "You changed it all. Everything. Pulled me in, did what you did. Do you understand, Eren?"

"I like your eyes too. But I like your company a bit more." Eren wasn't staring at him, his eyes drawn to his lips. Cheeks growing warm. "I really like you, Levi. And you probably—it's not like friends—I. What I meant to say was that I like you. Fuck." Those eyes crashed to his. Pleading, but unlike last time, it was a demand. A demand for more. To let it all spiral, unravel.

And Levi felt himself snap. Felt all binds slip and loosen up, his breathing stuttered as he pulled Eren down, collided their mouths together, gave in to the demand. Dusk.

It was Dusk.

The Day met the Night, the ultimate enthrallment, the Galaxy, it was all cosmic. Levi felt the heat, the warmth, a radiation he enraptured, and _fuck_, Eren. _Eren_. Captivation, enchantment, mesmerization.

The Sun was his. All was golden in the sky.


End file.
